


Captured

by Hullabamoo



Series: Unraveling Threads [1]
Category: The Wayhaven Chronicles (Interactive Fiction)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24153370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hullabamoo/pseuds/Hullabamoo
Summary: Being the damsel in distress...kind of sucks.
Relationships: Detective/Natalie "Nat" Sewell, Female Detective/Natalie "Nat" Sewell
Series: Unraveling Threads [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1743034
Comments: 2
Kudos: 71





	1. Lost

**Author's Note:**

> A short series depicting my Detective's inner struggle at no longer being able to defend herself by herself, and how that brings her into conflict with Unit Bravo...and Nat's overprotective nature. Just an exercise while I try to work out how to write all these amazing characters. 
> 
> Takes place at some point post-Book 2. Potential SPOILERS.  
> Nat/Detective romance. Dating, but not yet intimate.  
> BFF Morgan, friendly Farah, and decent Ava teammate relationships.

\----------------------------------------

The thump of cold steel against the back of my head jolts me from unconsciousness. I nearly fall back into it, a warm fog permeating my thoughts and dragging me back down. 

“Careful!” A voice snaps nearby, followed by rough hands threading through my hair and pushing my head to the side. “We lose money if she comes in bleeding.” 

My heartbeat drops, skipping beats until adrenaline floods my veins and sends it pounding. Clarity and fear soon follow, and I suck in a whimpering breath as my memory clears. 

I’d been finishing up a late-night call when footsteps had echoed from an alley, a voice had called my name, and the current pounding in my temples was more than enough evidence to tell me who it belonged to, and what had happened next. 

_Trappers!_

“Hey, she waking up?”

The fingers in my hair tighten and a stinking breath washes across my face. Self-preservation keeps me from gagging, and in a split-second decision I let my body go limp.

“Nah,” breathes the person holding me. “Out like a light.” 

“We should stick her again, just in case.” A third voice chips in, followed by the crunch of gravel. A car door slams from the same direction. 

“No. The card says it’s her blood they’re after. The cleaner we bring her in-”

“The more money we get - jeez, I get it.” The hand falls away from me, and I can’t help the relieved breath that escapes me. I hear a soft grunt of effort, and whatever I’m resting on bounces, buoying me and making my head spin. 

The footsteps continue for a bit and I do my best to follow the separate sets. Only three, from what I can tell, and after a moment I take the risk of a peek. The dented silver of a truck bed greets me, my legs sprawled across the tailgate while I rest awkwardly against the side. Covered by the shadows of night, a dirt road and trees stretch beyond it, and my limited view is cut short when gravel crunches right behind me and I slam my eyes close. 

“How long are we going to wait?”

“Till dawn at least. We have to go back through town to get to the highway and word is the Agency has a group of vamps guarding her. They’ll sniff her out in two seconds if we don’t wait for sun.” 

_Bastards really planned this out, didn’t they?_

Anger and fear swirl in my chest in equal measures. I’d always taken pride in being able to take care of myself and the town, but the events of the last few months had really put a dent in that confidence, especially with my current trouble being nothing more than a few humans. 

_Some detective I am._

The thought winds about and constricts my chest, helplessness and the remnants of whatever drug the trappers gave threatening to drag me back under. 

But then guilty brown eyes flash from my memory, a sharp breath blowing out from Nat’s forced smile as she grips my hand tight. 

_“I won’t let anything happen to you.”_

_Goddamnit._

I can’t just give up. Not before I give it every last shot. With that rallying thought I take a steadying breath and take a full stock of my situation. 

The burning ache in my shoulders comes from my arms being tied behind my back, something rigid and plastic digging into the skin of my wrists. Probably zip ties given the ridged edge. A wiggle confirms my jacket and duty belt are missing, as is the backup radio I kept in my back pocket. My boots are still on, though, and a small smile pulls at my lips at the pocket knife I can still feel tucked into my thick woolen socks. 

Opening up one eye, I locate the trappers easily, each one seated around a portable fire pit and tossing twigs into the spluttering fire. Tendrils of smoke curl up into the sky, heat spreading and chasing away the chill of the night.

I’ve worked halfway through an escape plan - stolen truck and getaway chase included - when the shrill ring of a phone echoes through the air.

One of the trappers pulls a phone from his pocket. “Yeah?”

“You’re shitting me. Already?” 

“We’re deep in the woods here. We’ll bunker down until-”

It’s the perfect distraction, and I squirm into an upright position. 

“Wouldn’t it be better for us to stay put? We’re pretty well-”

My foot scuffs against the truck as I curl my legs underneath me, working the boot with the knife closer to my bound hands. 

“Fine. We’ll be ready.” With a curse, the trapper ends the call and jerks to his feet. I freeze in place, praying he wasn’t paying enough attention to notice I’d moved. 

“C’mon, we gotta get packed back up.” 

“What, why?”

“The Agency is already on the search. We’re going to have to play keep away until we can slip out at dawn. The boss is on his way now for the trade off.” 

A cold weight sinks in my stomach, the chill working its way to my fingers and toes. Three-to-one were already bad odds, but if they had backup on the way...

_I have to get out of here before more of them show up._

There’s no time for fancy plans. Gathering my nerves, I slowly unfold my legs, inching further to the edge of the tailgate. One of the trappers starts towards me with a cooler in hand, lifting it to place it into the bed of the truck. 

Crack! 

The sole of my boot finds their ear, and I don’t wait to see the effect before landing the second into their chest, stumbling out of the truck and landing on them in a tangle of limbs. My balance tips, a pained breath heaving from my lungs as I slam into the bumper to keep upright. 

Stars dance and my shoulder pops, sending fire down my arm and back. But the sudden shouts around me pump adrenaline into my blood and I rush forward, bodying into the next closest trapper and cracking my forehead into his nose. 

I’m running. 

Branches slap against my face and roots threaten trip me, only dumb luck and the faint glow of moonlight keeping me upright. I can vaguely hear the trappers screaming behind me, but my hammering heartbeat all but drowns out the sound. 

A too-dark shadow goes unnoticed and I topple into a ditch, hissing as I crash face-first against the rough bark of a fallen tree. My head spins, no coherent thought forming as I suck air into my burning lungs. 

Shouts echo, and I press myself into the wall of the ditch, tucking myself as far under the tree as I can manage. 

_Please go by. Please._

The panicked part of my brain insists that they know right where I am. That they can hear my heartbeat. Smell me. That they’ll be here in seconds and I’ll pay for trying to escape. A deep cackle follows the thoughts, Murphy’s gleaming smile spinning through my blurry vision, chills running through my limbs at how quickly he’ll be here. About how once more I’ll be-

“Shit! Where the fuck did you go!”

The extremely long string of curses pulls me out of the forming hallucination and I go dead still. But, despite my fear and hammering heart, the crashing footsteps never get any closer. Instead, almost impossibly, they go further away, even as I settle and my senses sharpen for any noise. 

“Ha...hahaha.” I can’t stop the shuddering laugh that rips from my throat. I’m far from being in the clear, but now I have an actual chance. 

Safe for the moment, I begin to wiggle in place, but when I tense to test my bindings a shooting pain lances through my shoulder, cramps seizing my muscles and driving a whine from my lips. Unwisely I try again, desperate to free my hands, only to immediately seize again, tears leaking from my eyes as pain throbs through my body. 

_Damnit, I think it’s dislocated._

Like smoke in the wind, any plan of breaking the ties or getting my knife disappears. Even the simple act of straightening my back sends out a warning wave of cramps. I collapse into the dirt, a chill spreading over my skin as the adrenaline fades from my system. 

What can I do now? I won’t stay hidden here forever, especially not with more trappers on the way. The road won’t be safe for the same reason, and that’s given I could even find it again in the dark. And without my duty belt and the radios attached to it I have no way of calling for any help. 

_Assuming they could even find me. I don’t even know where I am._

Stilling under my somber predicament, I do the only thing I can think of - review the facts. 

One. I’m in the woods. Somewhere near town, and in a direction that the town is between me and the highway. 

Two. There’s currently three trappers looking for me. Likely all human, given their inability to find me. But there’s an unknown number coming to help, put on alert because the agency knows I’m missing. 

My eyes snap open, hope lighting in my chest. The Agency knows I’m missing, which means Unit Bravo is out searching for me. While I have no radio to call them, I do have something brighter than any lighthouse beacon for them and their hypersenses. 

Shuffling out from under the tree, I spend a long moment listening to the surroundings. I can hear some rustling, but it sounds distant, and I take the risk of pulling to my feet. Feeling along the tree trunk, it only takes a minute for me to find a broken branch sharp enough for my purposes, and after a couple of deep breaths to psych myself up, I slam my upper arm into it. 

I can’t help the pained cry that comes as the wood pierces my skin, but the wet flow that follows is exactly what I wanted. Pulling back, I awkwardly wipe my new wound over the bark, smearing what I hope is a decent amount of my blood over it. 

Then it’s just a matter of picking a direction away from the distant shouts, praying, and running. 

\----------------------------------------

Autumn colors blur into a mess of reds, oranges, and yellows as they race down the path, covering miles in the space of minutes. 

Ava is the first to stop and Nat skids into place next to her, scanning every inch of the forest around them for any sign of Kinsley, the trappers, anything. A branch snaps behind them and Nat rounds on a dime, ready to charge forward before she recognizes the approaching forms of Morgan and Farah. 

“Anything?” Ava snaps out, never stopping her own search of their surroundings.

Farah shakes her head, bouncing her weight from one foot to the other. “I ran the perimeter of the town three times. The strongest scent led this way.” 

“Fat lot of good that’s doing us now. They must have taken a vehicle or something. I haven’t smelled the Detective once.” Morgan twitches in place, sucking in another breath, and despite knowing the outcome Nat does the same. 

Nothing. 

“We need a plan of attack. It’ll take too long to cover the whole forest,” Ava growls. 

Worry claws at Nat’s chest when none of them suggest anything. They’d already been searching blindly for hours, set loose in a rush when Nat had returned from her nightly patrol in a near panic from the jacket and belt she’d found in an alley. 

Hands curling to fists, she shoves them deep into her pockets. They had promised - _she_ had promised - to keep Kinsley safe, and here they were running blind while she was being submitted to goodness knows what. And that was assuming she was even still-

“Nat. Keep up.” 

Startled from the horrible thought, Nat swings her attention to Ava. Despite her sharp tone, her expression is soft, and she reaches out to pull Nat along by the arm. She raises a brow in silent question and Nat shakes her head in response, instead taking what strength she can from her oldest friend and breaking into a jog. 

As a unit they cover another empty stretch of forest, each tree and hill looking more and more like the last. Once more Ava guides them to a halt, this time pulling a vibrating phone from her pocket. 

“Yes Ma’am? …Understood. We’re moving now.” She snaps the phone shut and takes off, and they all follow without question. 

“That was Agent Greene. One of the townspeople saw someone driving into the forest last night. There’s a path to the east.” 

Without thinking, Nat speeds up.

\----------------------------------------

In their rush they crash right into the trappers. 

It’s a shock for everyone involved, but with the surprise and only dawn’s weak light to see by, the trappers barely put up a fight. Or, well, maybe they put up a good fight, but they really didn’t stand a chance against four angry, rushed, vampires. 

Especially once they discover Kinsley is still missing. 

“Where is she?” Ava demands from the only one still conscious. Holding him up by his jacket, she presses him against the side of the gleaming SUV. Over her shoulder, Morgan watches him like a hawk.

“Go die in a fire, vamp. I’m not saying-hng.”

“I said, where is she?”

Glaze-eyed from the pheromones, the trapper shakes his head. “Don’t know. We were supposed to trade her off here, but the others never showed up.” 

The knot in Nat’s chest twists tighter. “What others?”

Her only answer is a lolling head and a pointed finger further up the road. Nat takes off, uncaring of Ava’s shouted order for her to wait. 

Footsteps match hers, Morgan falling into step next to her. “I smell smoke.” 

They find the source in minutes, a smouldering fire contained in a portable fire pit set up behind a dented silver truck. A familiar but fading scent lingers in the air, mixing with the smoke and stink of several other humans. 

Nat rushes to the truck, nearly ripping the door from its hinge in her rush to check the inside. 

Nothing.

“She was here,” Morgan says behind her. “Her scent is weaker than the others, maybe she got loose?”

“Or they moved her somewhere else.” Nat’s grip tightens, the steel door handle groaning under the pressure. She stares into the back seat, searching for any clue, but nothing remains except Kinsley’s faint scent. Numbness creeps from the cold weight in her stomach, and despite her racing mind she’s frozen in place. 

Distantly, she hears Ava and Farah catch up to them, Ava’s scowl deepening as she scolds her and Morgan for running off. Dawn begins to rise across the forest, casting light through the falling leaves of the trees. The early-autumn frost starts to melt with it, mist rising to coat the forest in an ethereal glow. But the chill in Nat’s body stays firmly in place, the visual of passing time only deepening its hold on her. 

“Nat. _Nat.”_

A hand on her arm snaps her out of the trance and she blinks rapidly to clear the burn of tears from her eyes. 

Ava surely notices. “We’ll find her.” 

Nat can’t think of a reply. Instead she nods and pulls away, blowing out a breath as she runs a hand through her hair. 

“Hey! Hear that?” Waving them over, Morgan goes dead still and points into the woods. It takes a moment, but Nat catches the same sound, snapping twigs and crashing steps not too far in the distance. 

“It could be the other trappers, let’s move.” 

Fanning out, they start towards the noise. Whoever it is hasn’t noticed them yet, pace staying the same angry stomping that easily drowns out the soft press of each of their footsteps. Senses sharp and fully attuned to the noise, Nat startles when another scent invades her thoughts; rich and deep and…intoxicating. 

“Kinsely!” The name slips from her in a startled hiss, and she breaks cover to rush towards the source. Ava hisses in annoyance, but doesn’t hesitate to follow. 

…

Another dead end. But not nothing, not this time. Fingers shaking, Nat traces the dark stain smeared across the trunk of a fallen tree. A flake of dried blood peels away and she recoils from it, hands immediately stuffed back into her pockets. 

“So she did get away,” murmurs Morgan, before she jerks, eyes slamming closed as she sucks in a deep breath. “And the damn idiot left us a trail. Her blood’s on the wind.” 

“Nat, Morgan, chase it. Farah you’re with me. We’ll handle the rest of the trappers.” 

Sparing Ava a grateful glance, Nat takes off after Morgan.

\----------------------------------------

“Kinsley? Kinsley. Please. I need you to open your eyes.”

Playing out like a dream from my memory, my vision focuses from a blur to a figure crouched in front of me. 

“Hey, there you are.” Warm hands cup my cheeks, and a shudder runs through my body, skin aching at the stark difference in temperature. I’m numb and floating, fog covering my thoughts and making it hard to tell if my eyes are closed or open. 

In front of me, Nat smiles, and it really doesn’t seem to matter anymore what the truth is. 

“She’s freezing, we need to get her warmed up.” Shrugging off her jacket, Nat goes to wrap it around my shoulders, only to stop dead when I let out a pained moan. 

I grit my teeth as the nerves in my shoulder light on fire, the slight jostle agonizing to the stiff and stretched ligaments. It only worsens when I hunch out of instinct, static racing down my numbed arms. 

A deep frown pulls at Nat’s lips and she reaches behind me. One quick tug later and the ties around my wrists snap away. Relief from the tension is immediately overridden as blood begins to flow freely into my limbs, bringing with it a thousand pinpricks of needles I have no way of warding off. 

The pain is enough to send white across my vision, and I let out a whined curse. 

“Easy, easy. Come on, stay with me.” Nat’s voice is almost desperate as she hovers close, palms working up and down my arms. Warmth radiates from her, eliciting a series of shivers as my body remembers it’s far too cold. 

Unbidden, a chuckle rasps from my throat. “‘m trying to. Not my fault people keep trying to drag me off.”

Nat tenses, gripping me hard enough to case another pulse of pained static. “Do not even begin to jest about that.” 

I breathe through the pain, heart sinking at the worried shadows darkening Nat’s eyes. 

She breathes out an apology and relaxes her grip, switching instead to picking at her jacket, pulling it as close as possible around my body while keeping it away from my shoulder. 

“Ava says the way is clear.” I jerk at the second voice, peering over Nat’s shoulder to catch the edge of Morgan’s form as she files into the small hollow I’d hidden myself away in. “The medics are waiting at the road.” 

“Her shoulder is injured. I-we can’t move her without disturbing it.” 

“It’s either that or letting her freeze to death. We need to move, Nat.” 

Nat winces, palm resting against my collarbone. Her touch almost burns me and, for once, it’s not because of the way my heart skips a beat whenever she touches me. “We-”

“I think I should get a say, too.” Cutting Nat off, I swallow down my bubbling irritation and put on what I hope is a convincing smile. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather get out of this forest as soon as possible.” 

The line of Nat’s jaw tightens and for a second I think she’s going to veto me, but a well-timed shiver breaks whatever argument she’s forming, and she reluctantly nods. 

“Alright, but if it gets to be too much you have to tell me. Immediately.” 

At my mumbled agreement she reaches out, arms circling around my back and under my knees. In one smooth motion she stands, and I can’t entirely blame the rush of heat over my cheeks on the dizziness that washes over me. 

“Keep your eyes closed,” she whispers, cheek pressing into my forehead as I tuck my face into her neck. I nod and obey, gritting my teeth as we jerk into motion, determined not to let the pain show.


	2. Existent

“Can you remember anything else?”

Seated on the couch of the warehouse’s common room, I shake my head. Rebecca tsks in response, pacing the same three steps back and forth in front of me. 

It’s enough to nearly drive me mad. As much as I loved my mother, the incessant hovering was beginning to wear on my nerves, especially since, between the medics, Unit Bravo, and her, I hadn’t had a moment alone to breathe since Nat had carried me out of the forest. I’d had to fight to keep from being brought to the Facility’s hospital, having seen enough of their grey walls to last a lifetime. 

Fortunately, Elidor was more than willing to make a housecall. 

“There has to be another leak. How else did they get into town without us noticing?” Beside me, Nat runs a frustrated hand through her hair. Her arm rests along the back of the couch, close enough to keep me tucked against her side, but with enough space to avoid aggravating my recently relocated shoulder and the sling holding it still. 

Her hovering has been slightly more tolerable. Shifting, I reposition her jacket across my lap and lean further against her. I’ve long since warmed up, but the memory of the cold still clings, not to mention the fear, and her closeness gives me something else to focus on. 

Nat smiles at my movement, but a prickle works along the back of my neck, and I turn just in time to see Farah’s grin turn wicked. 

Ava intervenes before she can say anything. “They knew when we mobilized too. Given the timeline, we have to assume it’s someone at the Facility.” 

“Yes. I’m well aware.” Pausing her repetitive step, Rebecca pushes her jacket back and rests her hands on her hips. “I’ll look into it immediately. Until it’s resolved, you’re all on high alert.”

“Yes, Ma’am. The Detective will stay here in the meanwhile.” Ava folds her hand behind her back and gives a curt nod. “One of us will stay with her at all times.” 

“What?” I snap out. Too-familiar anger begins to burn in my chest as, once again, decisions about my life are made without any of my input. “I’m not going to put my life on hold until you deign to let me do otherwise.” 

“It’s the best move to ensure your safety.” Though her tone doesn’t ease, Ava’s expression does soften as she looks to me. 

It doesn’t placate me in the slightest. “I can handle myself.”

“Perhaps, but there’s only so much a human can do. Your current state proves that.” 

Red fills my vision. Distantly I hear Nat’s startled protest as I jerk to my feet, spite alone keeping exhaustion from toppling me back over. Glaring at Ava, I chew through several unspoken responses, each worse than the last at proving her wrong. 

The realization shreds what little remains of my patience, and I snarl out a curse before storming towards the door. 

“Where are you going?” Rebecca blocks me from leaving, concern adding several lines across her brow.

I dodge around the hand she reaches out. “To take a shower. I’m still covered in dirt.” 

My chest clenches at the sudden hurt that flashes across her expression, and I nearly lose all steam when Nat calls out to me. 

“Kinsley…”

“It’s fine.” Physically incapable of blowing Nat off, I glance over my shoulder at her. She’s standing, posture canted forward like she’s a second away from chasing after me. “I’m fine.” 

I’m really not, but I can’t think of anything else to say before I escape the room and everyone inside. 

\------------------------------------------------

Silence reigns once Kinsley leaves, only broken by the click of a lighter as Morgan lights a cigarette and takes a greedy draw. 

“That went well,” she mutters around it, throwing Ava an annoyed look.

“I only spoke the truth.” Ava states, ever unbending. “This can’t keep happening. Eventually the Detective’s luck will run out.” 

She winces when both Nat and Rebecca flinch. “I mean-” 

“You mean Kinsley was totally awesome at getting away from the trappers all on her own, not to mention her plan for leading us right to her.” Dropping into the now-empty couch, Farah kicks her feet into the air. “C’mon, this is what, the third time she’s gotten away from the bad guys before we’ve gotten there?”

“We’re supposed to stop the ‘bad guys’ before they get anywhere near her.” 

“Yes, and we’re doing such a wonderful job at that.” Everyone goes quiet at Nat’s snappish tone, and she shakes her head before drawing a hand down her face. 

In a quiet moment of understanding, Rebecca lays a hand on her arm. She drops it the instant Nat gives the slightest nod, and turns to address the others. “There’s no point in discussing this further. You all know your duty. No matter what my daughter thinks of it, make sure you fulfill it.”

A chorus of ‘Yes, Ma’ams’ echoes around the room, and Rebecca departs without another word. 

Once more, silence stretches out. Looking between each member of her team, Ava lets out a sigh. 

“Alright, back to work.”

\------------------------------------------------

I stay in the shower until my skin begins to prune. Washing myself properly is difficult with only one functioning arm, and I spend far more time just letting the hot water wash over me. 

Eventually, though, I realize the chill in my bones just isn’t going to go away, and I carefully make my way out into my bedroom. Drying myself isn’t too difficult with the oversized, fluffy towel I’d stolen from Nat’s room a few weeks before, and I even manage to wiggle into a loose pair of shorts. 

My chosen t-shirt, however, presents a whole series of problems. 

I’d managed to strip my old one off without too much trouble, but only because I was able to invert and pull it off my uninjured right side and over my head before letting it slide down my left arm. Doing the reverse, however, is proving impossible. No matter how I twist the shirt or grip it with my teeth, I can’t get the holes to line up without straining my shoulder and the thin fabric. 

Sighing in defeat, I drop the shirt on my bed next to the towel. 

Now without distraction, the scene from the common room begins to play on loop, and I wince in embarrassment while simultaneously fuming at how I had been treated. 

_ Just because Ava’s right doesn’t mean she has the right to dictate my life. I refuse to hide away and let everyone else handle my problems! I’m still the detective of this town.  _

A knock at the door interrupts my navel gazing, and I call out. 

“Who is it?”

Gentle even as it’s muffled through the door, Nat’s voice answers. “It’s me, can I come in?”

“Yeah. It’s unlocked.” 

The door opens and Nat steps through it, a teasing smile on her face as she closes it behind her. “You’re not worried one of us might come barging it? That’s quite the risk with Farah’s-”

She cuts off, brown eyes widening in surprise. 

“Honestly I didn’t even think about it. Besides, what’s the point when all of you could break the knob with barely any effort whatsoever?” 

“Kinsley…”

Confused by the way she weakly stutters my name, I turn to face her. A red flush creeps across her cheeks and she averts her gaze, raising a hand to cover her mouth as she coughs. 

All at once, I remember my current state of undress. 

“Oh, damnit, sorry!” I lunge for my shirt, forgetting myself and reaching for it with my dominant left hand. Muted pinpricks race up my arm, drawing out a pained wheeze. I stumble against the bed in response, tipping sideways, when an arm snakes about my waist and pulls me upright. 

“Careful,” Nat breathes against my ear, checking me quickly before turning her gaze once more to the ceiling. “And don’t apologize. The sight of you could never upset me.” 

The simple honesty in her words sets my already-red cheeks aflame. The warm press of her palm against my bare side does nothing to help, and I stutter through several attempted sentences before just nodding my head. 

Fortunately, Nat has gotten real good at understanding even my most tongue-tied responses, and she chuckles. “Though, I would have preferred a more intimate setting for my first look.” 

My blush spreads all the way to the tips of my ears. “Nat!” I whine in protest, pushing on her chest to put some space between us. “Don’t tease. Not now.” 

She laughs once more, but acquiesces. Reaching for my shirt, she plucks it from the bed, one eyebrow raising as she notices the towel laid beside it. “I was wondering where that went…” 

There’s absolutely no way she didn’t know where it was, especially considering the way I acquired it, but I play along nonetheless, putting on a cheeky smile. “Oh? I didn’t know it was yours. You can have it back.” 

“No, keep it. You clearly need all the coverings you can get.” She holds up my shirt. “Need some help?”

My ego prickles at the way her voice goes soft, and I hang my head in defeat. “Yeah.”

“Don’t look so worried. I promise to be a perfect gentlewoman.” Her joke half-lands, and I huff out a laugh before ducking my head into the opening she holds open. 

Impossibly gentle, she helps guide my left arm into its corresponding sleeve and tugs the excess cloth down over my chest as I work to put my right arm into place. Once I’m settled she picks at my collar, fussing with the material until it lies in a way that suits her. 

“Where’s your sling?”

Rolling my eyes, I gesture towards the bathroom. She returns with it a moment later, giving me no chance to argue before she starts to strap it into place. I let out a fond, if exasperated sigh, but answer her questions about its fit honestly when she asks. 

“There. Everything in place.” She steps back, gaze running up and down my form. Instead of the usual comforting quiet, an almost awkward silence settles between us, and I shift in place when the worried furrow returns to Nat’s brow. “About what Ava said…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Nat straightens when I snap, almost in recoil. But she rallies quickly enough, cupping my cheek and encouraging me to look at her. “You did amazing. Not only did you get away from the trappers, you found a way to lead us right to you.”

“Yeah, and none of it matters because I don’t heal in a fucking second like the rest of you.” I wince. “Sorry, that wasn’t fair.” 

“You don’t need to apologize.” Nat’s pained expression says otherwise, and I reach up to lay my hand over hers. She smiles, warm brown eyes softening, and my traitorous heart flutters at the sight. “I know it bothers you to have to rely on us for protection.”

That isn’t the whole of it, but I’ve had too long of a night and too many painkillers to want to correct her. Nat must see something in my expression, though, because she tilts her head, brow furrowing. 

“What is it?”

“Nothing.” 

I answer way too quickly. For all her gentleness and open heart, Nat was easily one of the most stubborn people I’d ever met - Ava included - and I know immediately what she thinks of my answer when she rubs a thumb over my cheek and rests her free hand on my hip. 

“Kinsley…” 

“Not now. Please.” Deciding honesty is my best defense, I fight the urge to look away, instead meeting her gaze with a pleading look. 

To my surprise, she yields. “Alright. But I’m here whenever you want to talk, yes?”

I nod, the knot in my chest easing, and I stop Nat before she can pull away, drawing her into as much of a hug as I can manage with one arm and resting my cheek against her chest. A happy chuckle echoes against my ear, and I give a contented sigh when both of Nat’s arms wind around me. 

Far too quickly I begin to drift, lulled by the strong, steady beat of Nat’s heart. The sweep of her fingers against my nape only adds to it, and soon I’m yawning, fighting to clear the fog covering my thoughts. 

“You should get some rest,” Nat murmurs, slowly backing me towards the bed. She reaches around me to pull the covers down, blinking in confusion when I begin to laugh. 

“What?”

“Nothing.” 

“You keep saying that.” 

Shaking my head, I catch her as she straightens, fingers framing her jaw and keeping her at my level so I can press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Her lips part in a smile and I catch the bottom one between my teeth, nipping just hard enough to draw out a surprised gasp. Another kiss to soothe it away and then, teasing done, I pull back. 

But Nat isn’t keen on letting me go. I scramble to grab her shoulder as she surges forward, grip tight about my hips as she demands a proper kiss, then another, and another, until I’m gasping out a moan and trembling in her grip. Only then does she tear away, breathing hard and smirking down at me. 

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the fond smile that tugs at my lips. “Well, then.” 

“Come on, to bed with you.” Voice husky, Nat’s smirk widens when I splutter at her word choice, thumbs tucking into the waistband of my shorts and swiping over the dip between my hip and thigh. 

Before she can do anything else, I drop onto the bed and out of her grip. The warm lines around her eyes deepen, and she rests her still-hanging hands onto my shoulders. “Am I going to have to tuck you in?” 

My huff makes her laugh, and she smooths a palm down my good shoulder. Her touch catches on the bandage stuck to my upper arm and her gaze slides to it. Silent, I watch as she studies it, the lips dropping into a frown as she traces the edge of it. 

It’s a look I’ve seen before - too many times, really, and I call out to her. 

“Nat. Hey. It’s alright. I’m here.” 

“That you are.” She doesn’t look up. 

It takes me catching her sleeve to draw her attention away from it. Before I can comment further, though, she steps away, hand running through her hair. 

“I need to get back to the others.”

And I need to get some sleep. A weight settles between us, heavy and separating, and I know I’m not the only one to notice it when Nat hesitates before leaning down to kiss me on the forehead. 

“Sleep well, Kinsley.”

I murmur a thank you, fingers brushing against hers before she’s fully out of reach and heading for the door. She pauses at it, looking back at me over her shoulder, the reassuring smile she gives more forced than usual. 

But there’s not a lot I can do about it now. Sliding in between the sheets, I spend a long time trying to find a comfortable position, but never manage it before sleep takes me.


End file.
